41 courses with the subject PO, 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.
This course entails a close examination of the Constitution of the United States as well as great documents of the American Founding. Particular attention will be given to the structure and operation of the federal government. Offered every semester.
This course will introduce students to primary elements of public policy and its corresponding processes. Topics will include stages of policy ranging from problem identification to implementation and policy feedback. In each step, students will discuss how human decision-making and policy precedent influence current policy choices. Cumulatively, students will gain a foundational understanding of how public policy and constituents interact in an increasingly complex policyscape.
In this course, students will develop an understanding of major themes in Western political thought, focusing on essential questions of communal life. We will reflect on topics like the nature of justice, the best form of government, the purpose of law, and the proper relationship between church and state. Students will encounter some of the classic texts in political thought, from Plato's consideration of the just state to Marx's call for the abolition of the state. Students are encouraged to apply what they learn from these seminal works in political philosophy to contemporary regimes and the challenges we face in the American political system.
A study of the history and development of political parties in America.
This course introduces students to primary elements of public policy and its corresponding processes. Topics will include stages of policymaking ranging from problem identification to implementation and policy feedback. In each step, students will discuss how human decision-making and policy precedent influence current policy choices. Finally, the course covers the nature and practice of policy analysis, with students employing evaluative criteria in several substantive policy areas such as Health Care, Education, Welfare, Energy, and the Environment.
A study of the American constitutional framework for the exercise of governmental power, with a particular emphasis on the role of the Supreme Court in articulating that framework. Students can expect to read important Court decisions and other materials. The course will raise such questions as: How should the Constitution be interpreted? What are the respective powers of the Courts, the Congress, and the Presidency? What limits does the Constitution impose on those powers? What is the proper constitutional relationship between the federal government and the states? Offered in alternate years. Cf. CJ 309.
A study of the individual rights and liberties protected by the U.S. Constitution, as viewed through Supreme Court cases and other materials. The primary focus will be on the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech, press, and religious liberty, as well as on the 14th Amendment's guarantee to each person of "the equal protection of the laws." The course will also consider the jurisprudence surrounding rights of political participation and the constitutional protection of property and privacy. Offered in alternate years.
This course has students participating in preparing oral arguments and written briefs for a simulation of United States Supreme Court proceedings. Preparation will involve the reading of a large volume of case law and developing arguments based on these precedents. Some students in class will be invited by the instructor to compete at a regional qualifying tournament.
Students will be guided in the use of qualitative and quantitative methods in political inquiry. Using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and widely available large-n datasets, students explore key quantitative concepts like descriptive statistics, frequency distributions, measures of central tendency, difference of means, correlation, and linear regression. They will also be introduced to qualitative methods, such as the use of case studies and interview techniques. This course can be taken to fulfill the Empirical Reasoning core requirement. Offered in the spring semester.
This course introduces students to major international relations concepts including diplomacy, violent conflict, and humanitarian aid. Utilizing traditional and developing approaches of international relations, students will integrate theory with historical case studies and contemporary situations. Particular emphasis placed upon understanding current events and corresponding interactions
This course is a survey of the theory and practice of the founding of the United States Congress. Students will consider the philosophical foundations of the modern idea of representation in government; the intentions of the Framers of the Constitution regarding Congress; the challenge of the Progressive Reformers to the traditional notion of Congress; and the operation of the modern Congress. Offered in alternate years.
This course examines theoretical, institutional, and historical aspects of the American Presidency. Themes include the nature of executive power as it was understood by the American Founders, the separation of powers, and place of the executive in war powers. Emphasis will also be placed on the changing understanding of the presidency from the founding to the modern era. Offered in alternate years.
This course approaches law as a product of the many political factors that influence judicial processes and legal decision-making rather than as a mere application of legal doctrine. We will also study the ways that law and courts play an integral role in the political process in the United States, with the court weighing in on some of the nation’s most controversial issues, including abortion, gun control, marriage, healthcare, and campaign finance. Topics to be covered include the structure of state and federal courts, the procedures for criminal and civil trials, the roles of judges and juries, and finally, a special emphasis will be placed on the operation of the Supreme Court and its role as interpreter of the Constitution.
This course in advanced International Relations is based upon in-depth analysis of key 20th and 21st century statecraft across the political-social-economic spectrum. Course objectives include preparation and presentation of topic-specific white papers. PO 299 Fundamentals in International Relations is a recommended prerequisite, but is NOT required for this course.
This course presents an overview of the central ideas that have shaped America’s foreign policy from the Revolutionary period to the present day. In order to give students a better understanding of contemporary politics, the course will give particular attention to the legacy of the Cold War, the War on Terror, and questions surrounding globalization. Themes to be considered may include America’s commitment to "universal" natural rights, the tension between the liberal and realist schools of thought, and the phenomenon of "nation building." Offered in alternate years.
This course is a survey of the development and practice of Modern international law from post- 1648 (Treaties of Westphalia) to present. Topics include: foundations and sources of international law; relationship between international and municipal law; bilateral and multilateral treaties; treaty organizations; compliance and enforcement mechanisms; and non-governmental
A study of one or more topics of significance in political philosophy not covered elsewhere in the political philosophy curriculum. Offered as needed.
A study of one or more topics of significance in American government not covered elsewhere in the government curriculum. Offered as needed.
American history and contemporary events and thought are studied, focusing on the role of labor, business, and government; the theory of free markets; values and how society changes; sexism and racism; foreign policy; and the roles of the Church. Offered periodically. Cf. EC 355-356.
American history and contemporary events and thought are studied, focusing on the role of labor, business, and government; the theory of free markets; values and how society changes; sexism and racism; foreign policy; and the roles of the Church. Offered periodically. Cf. EC 355-356.
A study of the political ideas of American statesmen and thinkers from the colonial period through the secession crisis. Candidates for consideration include early Pilgrim and other colonial writers, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton, and Calhoun. Offered in alternate years.
A study of the political ideas of American statesmen and writers from the Civil War period to the present. Candidates for consideration include Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Orestes Brownson, Mark Twain, Herman Melville, Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Croly, Woodrow Wilson, W.E.B. Dubois, and Franklin Roosevelt. Offered in alternate years.
This course examines the writings of Catholic authors of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries on significant topics of political philosophy. Students will consider the formulation of Catholic political thinking in response to modern theories of Secularism, Socialism, Capitalism, and Revolution, as well as to social phenomena such as Industrialization and War. Offered in alternate years.
This course explores the development and evolution of diplomacy and international statecraft in the West from the High Middle Ages through the Modern Era. Focus included exploration and analysis of primary sources relating to St. Thomas Aquinas (Just War Theory), Hugo Grotius (Treaties of Westphalia), and Charles Maurice de Talleyrand (Congress of Vienna). PO 299 Fundamentals in International Relations is a recommended prerequisite, but is not required for this course.
A one-semester 3-credit hour course that explores the development and evolution of diplomacy and international statecraft in Western Europe from the Early Modern Era (1625) through the nineteenth century. Focus includes reading and analysis of primary source documents produced by contemporary writers and practitioners (Richelieu, Mazarin, Talleyrand, etc.) PO 299 Introduction to International Relations is a recommended prerequisite, but is not required for this course.
Offered upon sufficient demand.
This course introduces students to the study of ancient political philosophy through the detailed analysis of selected writings of Thucydides, Plato, Xenophon, Aristotle, Cicero, and others. When PO401 is not offered, students may instead take TM201: Classical Intellectual Tradition (offered every spring semester).
This course is an intensive study of major texts in medieval political thought. Students will consider the various approaches taken by Jewish, Christian, and Muslim thinkers’ traditions toward political life. Thinkers studied may include Maimonides, St. Augustine, John of Salisbury, St. Thomas Aquinas, Dante; Marsilius of Padua, Maimonides, Falaquera, Alfarabi, Averroes, Avicenna, and others. When PO402 is not offered, students may instead take TM301: Medieval Intellectual Tradition (offered every spring semester).
Modern political philosophy has had a profound influence on the politics and culture of our day. In this course students consider the ways in which modern thought broke with the past and offered a new set of political visions. Topics examined will include the purpose and limits of politics; the nature of freedom, equality, and justice; and the proper place of religion and morality in a world filled with political dangers. When PO 403 is not offered, students may instead take TM 401: Modern Intellectual Tradition (offered every spring semester).
A study of contemporary ideas of political theory, including classical liberalism, socialism, communitarianism, libertarianism, and critical theory. Thinkers considered may include John Rawls, Robert Nozick, Jurgen Habermas, Friedrich Hayek, Hannah Arendt, Leo Strauss, Martin Rhonheimer, and Eric Voegelin.
This course examines the tradition of dissatisfaction with the basic principles of liberalism, which first arose in the 18th century and continues to this day. Thinkers examined may include Rousseau, Hegel, Marx, Mill, Nietzsche, and Heidegger. Offered periodically.
An examination of the relationship in America between modern liberal democracy and the cultural phenomena of freedom and equality. While the course is centered on a careful reading of de Tocqueville's great work Democracy in America, the course may also draw from the speeches and writings of political leaders involved in founding, preserving, and changing American politics and society. Offered every spring semester.
A study of the origin and development of political thought concerning the family, its role in society and its relationship with the state. The course analyzes contemporary debates concerning the internal authority and cohesion of the family (childcare, divorce, parental consent/notification issues, the definition of marriage) in the light of divergent theoretical conceptions of the individual, the family, and the community.
This course will examine crime and policy process. Using the U.S. Patriot Act of 2001 as a backdrop, students will learn about the forces of influence that initiate legislation, how these forces shape bills through the legislative process and how they influence the enactment of legislation in to law. Students will also learn goals and objectives of crime policy analysis and learn how legislation has met its stated goals and objectives.
Topical seminar that includes initial steps toward writing the senior thesis; topics change in different semesters. Offered each year.
Internship in Politics or a closely related field. Please see the Director of Internships. Offered on demand.
Internship in Politics or a closely related field. Please see the Director of Internships. Offered on demand.
Internship in Politics or a closely related field. Please see the Director of Internships. Offered on demand.
This is a 1-credit course in applied International Relations based upon in-depth study of the legislative and administrative processes of the UN. This course accompanies membership on the Belmont Abbey Model UN team. Members serve as delegates for their assigned countries, draft position papers, and participate in committee resolution preparation. They commit to attending weekly meetings and competing during the last weekend in March. Course may be repeated up to three times (3 credits) for academic credit towards the International Relations minor or the Politics major or minor. Enrollment in PO 460 is not required for Model UN participation but is strongly recommended.
Students in this course are members of the Belmont Abbey delegation to the North Carolina Student Legislature. They meet regularly with their fellow delegates to craft resolutions aimed at improving life in the state and then attend monthly sessions of the legislature held at various colleges throughout North Carolina.
Source: Belmont Abbey College's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 61
