54 courses with the subject PSCI, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
PSCI 111American Politics
The promise of American politics is the equal freedom of all. How does practice match principles? What roles do class and race play? Do interest groups and political parties foster democracy? This course is designed not only to help students understand American government and politics but also to motivate them to be active and informed participants. Offered annually. OLE Core Requirement: Power and Race; Social Science.
Why do some societies have democratic political systems and others authoritarian ones? What is democracy? Is it the norm or the exception? The course provides a foundation for the understanding of contemporary political regimes. It applies the major concepts of comparative analysis to the political systems of Western and non-Western societies. Offered periodically. OLE Core Requirement: Global Histories and Societies.
This course is an introduction to some of the central, interrelated concepts and questions of political theory. Some of the readings will be drawn from recognized classics in the field while others will arise from contemporary debates about political issues and cultural diversity within the U.S. The course pays considerable attention to historical shifts in political thought but is not designed to provide a chronology of the great Western political thinkers. Instead, this course aims to provoke and sustain a semester-long exploration of what it means to be a political actor -- that is, a citizen -- and what it means to think about politics. Offered annually. OLE Core Requirement: Global Histories and Societies.
What makes a person capable of repression? Who obeys morally unjust orders to torture or kill innocent victims? What causes genocide? Who risks their life to defend others' rights? Using case studies from around the world, this course looks at various explanations for the range of ways individuals respond to immoral government actions, with special emphasis on theories of political psychology. Offered annually. OLE Core Requirement: Social Science.
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the long tradition of debate concerning the nature and legitimacy of war. The course explores the reality of war, the revulsion of violence and the possibility of just war through texts ranging from Thucydides, Aquinas, and Walzer. The course explores contemporary debates in light of moral and empirical arguments learned.
War and peace, justice and power -- these are age-old topics of the politics among nations. This course examines them by emphasizing certain problem areas in the world and evaluating the principal theories for understanding international politics. Offered annually. OLE Core Requirement: Social Science.
PSCI 204The New Hampshire Primary and U.S. Presidential Politics
Since its inception in 1916, the New Hampshire primary has attained a preeminent place in American presidential politics. This course will provide students with a broad overview of the presidential nominating process through a detailed examination of the New Hampshire primary. Students read academic analyses of the New Hampshire primary and intern with a presidential candidate. Offered periodically during January term. Apply through The Smith Center for Global Engagement. Prerequisites: one course in political science or permission of instructor. OLE Core Requirement: OLE Experience in Practice.
Why do states create and join international organizations (IOs)? What roles do they play in solving global problems? The goal of this course is to help students develop a theoretical as well as a practical understanding of international organizations and the global problems they attempt to address. Particular emphasis will be placed on students' ability to think critically, both about global challenges and the global governance mechanisms designed to solve these challenges. Also counts toward international relations concentration. Offered annually. OLE Core Requirement: Creativity; Social Science.
This course offers students an introduction to the study of gender in the field of political science. It begins with fundamental questions relating to definitions and construction of gender. It then surveys scholarship relating to gendered political participation and civic engagement, women's movements, sexism, representation, voting behavior, and campaigns and elections. OLE Core Requirement: Social Science.
In a democratic state, the media play an important role in linking the people to elected officials and political institutions. The course is principally concerned with this connection. By analyzing broad and varied forms of political communication and studying scholarship on the role of media in society, students explore the structure of American media with respect to political institutions, the effects media can have on individuals' political attitudes, and the role the media play in political campaigns and governance. Also counts toward media studies concentration. Prerequisite: none, but one course in political science is recommended.
The American presidency is one of the most powerful political offices in the world. The actions and policies of U.S. presidents influence domestic governance, global affairs, and democratic institutions. This course examines the presidency's powers, constraints, and responsibilities, exploring the political processes that shape it. We analyze contemporary developments and historical trends, addressing key questions about nominations, institutional evolution, personal leadership, and the impact of social and economic forces, with a focus on the 21st-century presidency. Offered annually during spring semester. OLE Core Requirement: Social Science.
Religion has played a crucial role in most major issues of American politics ranging from enslavement, civil rights, prohibition, the criticism of capitalism, the affirmation of capitalism, abortion, same-sex marriage and the very place of religion in our public life. This course examines the ways in which religion and politics intersect in public opinion, campaigns, public policy, lobbying, court cases, political rhetoric, and the broader principles of American political culture. Looking at both quantitative and qualitative evidence, the course explores different theoretical explanations of the role of religion in American politics. Offered alternate years.
More than half of the planet's population lives under non-democratic rule, and 40% of the world's governments are authoritarian. This course examines the domestic and international challenges authoritarian leaders face in their quest to stay in power. Focusing on contemporary examples of political dynamics in authoritarian regimes, students consider survival strategies related to ideology, coercion, cooptation, electoral manipulation, patronage distribution, economic growth, and civil-military relations. Offered annually. Prerequisite: prior course work in Political Science recommended. OLE Core Requirement: Social Science.
This course explores the diverse modes of inquiry in the discipline of political science. Broadly centered around the question, "How do you know?," students focus on different methods of locating and collecting data, reviewing political texts and contested concepts, and constructing theoretical explanations of political phenomena. Offered each semester. Prerequisite: one previous course in department and a declared PSCI major. Non-majors may register with permission of instructor. OLE Core Requirement: Quantitative and Computational Reasoning.
How do states govern their economies and how does the international economy affect domestic politics? This course aims to answer these two interrelated questions by introducing students to theories of the politics of trade, finance, and investment; as well as contemporary debates on the role of economic organizations, regional trade agreements, migration, environment and inequality. The course approaches each topic by examining alternative theoretical approaches; students evaluate these theories using historical and contemporary evidence. Offered annually in the fall semester. Prerequisite: prior course work in political science or economics useful but not required. OLE Core Requirement: Social Science.
American politics is about ideas. This course traces the origins of these and other important ruling ideas in the writings of America's most prominent thinkers. We devote special attention to what is often called "the American creed" (liberal individualism, egalitarianism, republicanism, and community) and the creed's many critics, particularly with respect to race and American political thought. Offered alternate years during spring semester. OLE Core Requirement: Power and Race.
This course introduces students to the complexities of international dispute resolution. Students meet with leading figures in international law at some of the most important venues for resolving conflicts among states. Students gain a general understanding of the complex institutional mechanisms that have been created to ensure the security and improve the welfare of states as well as the international courts created to prosecute international crimes and promote human rights. Offered periodically during January term. OLE Core Requirement: Social Science; OLE Experience in Practice.
PSCI 240Machiavelli's Shadow: Politics and Power in Italy (study abroad)
This study abroad course introduces students to the life and thought of Niccolo Machiavelli as a window into Renaissance Italy, Ancient Rome, and Modern Europe. Students not only trace Machiavelli's career and aspirations through the streets of Florence and Rome, they also explore the way in which his political and literary works continue to shape the way in which Ancient Rome is presented to tourists and national identity is promoted by politicians. Offered alternate years during January term. OLE Core Requirement: Global Histories and Societies; OLE Experience in Practice.
This class aims to better understand the racial climate in the United States, and the implications for American politics. Differing analytical perspectives from political science are used to interpret the role of race. A central question is the degree to which "post-racial" is an appropriate description of the current era. Also counts toward race and ethnic studies major and concentration. OLE Core Requirement: Power and Race.
Currents of nationalism, regionalism, and globalization organize political life around the world. What trends and policies promote regional integration? What forces frustrate integration? To answer these questions this course investigates security, economic, and cultural relations at the beginning of the 21st century within Asia and between Asia and Russia and the U.S. This course looks at the historical interaction of national, regional, and global forces for additional answers. Offered periodically. Prerequisite: previous course in Asian studies or political science, or permission of instructor. OLE Core Requirement: Global Histories and Societies; Social Science.
The product of the political process is public policy. This course surveys the major areas of domestic public policy in the United States: education, welfare, health, housing, the environment, and the economy with special attention to the impact of public policies on women and minorities. Also counts toward business and management studies concentration. Prerequisite: one course in political science or permission of instructor. OLE Core Requirement: Social Science.
This course allows students to serve on the editorial board of the Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics, the national undergraduate journal of the political science honor society. Students learn how scholarly research is evaluated, revised, and prepared for publication by reviewing manuscripts and participating in editorial workflows. The course also introduces the norms of scholarly publishing. Students may take this course a second time, serving as Senior Editors, with enhanced leadership roles and editorial opportunities. Offered annually during fall and spring semesters. Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing, PSCI 220 and 2 additional political science courses, or instructor permission. Other interested students should reach out to the faculty member teaching the course. OLE Core Requirement: OLE Experience in Practice.
Some formerly developing countries have found the way to join the ranks of the industrialized nations, others have not. What explains the difference? By introducing students to theories of modernization, dependency, world systems, order, class, revolution, state, and political economy, the course attempts to provide the framework for answering this question. Also counts toward Latin American studies major and Latin American studies and business and management studies concentrations.
Political parties have traditionally served to organize the American electoral process but not to govern. Is their role changing? This course examines party organization, candidate recruitment, campaign strategies, the role of the media, election financing, and citizen participation.
Often controversial, foreign relations in the Western Hemisphere include not only the political and economic influence of the USA south of its borders, but how states in Latin America and the Caribbean interact with each other and with states and intergovernmental organizations around the world. Offered periodically during the spring semester.
The goal of this course is to expand students' knowledge of conflict, cooperation, trade, development, inequality, imperialism, and power in world politics. The course uses substantive examples to teach about issues and institutions in "world politics" and to examine appropriate mechanisms to understand and explain international phenomena. Also counts toward business and management studies concentration. Offered annually. OLE Core Requirement: Social Science.
PSCI 259Ancient Political Theory: Power, Virtue, and Vice
A serious engagement with ancient political texts remains indispensable both as a contrast with our modern self-understanding and as a surprising continuity with questions we continue to ask. Students read and discuss prominent ancient political thinkers from a range of ancient cultures, such as Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, Mencius, Al-Farabi, and Augustine. Offered alternate years during spring semester. OLE Core Requirement: Global Histories and Societies.
Machiavelli founded modern political philosophy by asking "How does the ruler acquire power?" This course explores how modern political thinkers answered this question by changing the grounds of authority from religious and philosophical foundations to rational ones. Texts include Machiavelli's Prince and Hobbes's Leviathan, Locke's Second Treatise, Rousseau's Social Contract, Marx's Communist Manifesto, and Nietzsche's Use and Abuse of History. Offered periodically. OLE Core Requirement: Global Histories and Societies.
Twentieth-century thought across the political spectrum was critical of the modern state. Traditionalists and radicals alike were horrified by the rise of totalitarianism and the dangers of unrestrained political authority. In this course students engage with the works of leading critics of the state on both the Right (e.g. Hayek) and Left (e.g. Foucault), consider the similarities and differences of their critiques, explore the ethical consequences of the alternatives, and assess their contemporary relevance. OLE Core Requirement: Global Histories and Societies.
How do the peoples of Latin America participate politically? How do domestic politics interact with national and international economics? How do states treat challenges posed by migration and by desires for "modernization" and democracy in a context of authoritarian legacy and debt? Students examine how Latin American politics work, focusing on Mexico, parts of Central America, the Caribbean, the Andean Region, and the Southern Cone. Also counts toward Latin American studies major and Latin American studies and business and management studies concentrations. OLE Core Requirement: Global Histories and Societies.
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the principles of American constitutional law as well as the political struggles that shaped them. The course focuses not only on constitutional doctrine, but also on competing interpretations and political effects of landmark decisions. This course emphasizes debates over civil rights and civil liberties that have been central to modern Supreme Court jurisprudence.
Once the purview of diplomats and generals, international law has broken those narrow confines and is becoming a part of traditional practice in areas of business, environment, human rights, and criminal law. This course introduces students to this vast and changing subject from a liberal arts perspective, including its history, theory, and practice. Also counts toward international relations concentration. OLE Core Requirement: Global Histories and Societies.
This course examines the ethics of ambition and leadership through diverse normative perspectives. By exploring historical examples and theoretical approaches from Plato to the present, students reflect on ambition as both a fundamental human drive and a key force in civic leadership. They also assess its moral and practical risks for individuals and communities. Finally, students consider how their own ambitions relate to their personal and public roles within a political community. Offered alternate years during spring semester. OLE Core Requirement: Ethical Reasoning in Context.
Internships are available in a wide variety of public and private institutions including the state legislature, lobbying agencies, law firms, media organizations, corporate public affairs, and executive agencies. OLE Core Requirement: OLE Experience in Practice.
This seminar integrates the liberal arts with the experience of work and the search for a vocation or career. Course content will include both an off-campus internship and on-campus class sessions that connect academic theories/analyses of work with their particular internship experience. Students will also consider and articulate the value of the liberal arts for their pursuit of a creative, productive, and satisfying personal life.
The political science research practicum provides a new opportunity to realize the college and department's commitment to undergraduate research. Students put research skills into practice by gathering and analyzing empirical evidence, and producing a substantive research project. With research topics varying from term to term, students develop methodological expertise surrounding a current problem in political science, and collect and analyze data to address the problem. Offered alternate years.
PSCI 297Washington D.C. Politics and Intl Relations Practicum (study away)
This course combines experiential learning with ethical reflection. It offers networking and possible job shadowing opportunities in the areas of policy-making, advocacy, campaigning, federal and local government, journalism, advocacy, law, among others. Students will be matched with a number of St. Olaf alumni and professionals in Washington, D.C. and be able to talk with them about their jobs and perhaps shadow them at their workplace. The jobs-shadowing and career-related experiences will be paired with course material that will help you learn about the practice of governance, politics as a vocation, political efficacy and the ethical dimensions of leadership and public service. Offered periodically during January term. Apply through Smith Center for Global Engagement. OLE Core Requirement: OLE Experience in Practice; Ethical Reasoning in Context.
After completion of three courses in political science, students may approach a member of the department faculty and propose a course of study not currently offered to be conducted in tutorial fashion.
The department periodically offers special topics courses. The specific title of the course is listed in the class and lab schedule when it is offered.
This seminar introduces the core questions, concepts, and theories of the field of American politics. With topics varying from term to term, students read both "cutting edge" research and the classic articles of the field. The methodology employed in the research is a central topic. Students ask whether the methods are appropriate and helpful for answering the central questions of American politics. The course also includes a major research project. Prerequisites: PSCI 220 and one course in the subfield, or permission of instructor.
The course introduces core questions, concepts, and theories of international relations. Topics vary, ranging from persistent problems and enduring themes in global relations to Prominent questions confronting scholars of international relations. The course highlights methods and practices of political science research and includes a major research project. Also counts toward international relations concentration. Prerequisites: PSCI 220 and one course in the subfield, or permission of instructor.
Economic statecraft refers to states' use of economic means to pursue foreign policy goals and political ends. This seminar provides students with advanced study of economic statecraft tools, which often combine economic rewards and punishments. Specifically, students explore when and how governments choose from their economic statecraft repertoire, and assess the effectiveness of the available tools, including but not limited to foreign aid, bilateral trade and investment, and economic sanctions. Offered annually in the fall semester. Prerequisite: PSCI 220 and one course in the international relations subfield, or permission of the instructor.
This course investigates entry control policy, integration and citizenship policy, and the political activities of migrants in the wealthy democracies. Alternative arguments emphasizing the role of economic interests, sovereignty, national identity, and gender are introduced. Opportunities for academic civic engagement projects are included in the course. Prerequisites: PSCI 220 and one course in the subfield, or permission of instructor.
PSCI 370Seminar: Courageous Resistance to Injustice
Individuals, communities, and organizations have found ways to address even the most egregious state abuses of human rights and other injustices. Using comparative analysis, this course considers cases and theories of nonviolent personal and political resistance and the factors that appear to contribute to people taking action and to successful responses. Students research and analyze cases of their choosing in light of the literature. Collectively students address an injustice, learning to research, network, strategize and take action over the course of the term. Prerequisites: PSCI 220 and at least one course in the subfield, or permission of instructor. OLE Core Requirement: OLE Experience in Practice.
This is an advanced course in the area of political thought. The topic, a detailed study of either major works or themes in political philosophy, varies with each offering. Prerequisites: PSCI 220 and one course in the subfield, or permission of instructor.
Students with ideas for internships are encouraged to approach instructors within the department in order to arrange supervision for credit. For Level III credit students must have successfully completed a Level II internship in the same area. Prerequisite: PSCI 294. OLE Core Requirement: OLE Experience in Practice.
This course provides a comprehensive research opportunity, including an introduction to relevant background material, technical instruction, identification of a meaningful project, and data collection. The topic is determined by the faculty member in charge of the course and may relate to their research interests. Offered based on department decision. May be offered as a 1.00 credit course or .50 credit course. Prerequisite: determined by individual instructor.
Students who have taken five political science courses, one of which is in the area of the proposed research, may propose an independent research project to a member of the departmental faculty. Prerequisite: PSCI 220 and one course in the subfield, or permission of instructor.
Seminars are special topics courses offered periodically by the department. The specific title of the seminar is listed in the Class and Lab Schedule when it is offered. May be repeated if topic is different. Prerequisites: PSCI 220 and one course in the subfield, or permission of instructor.
