46 courses with the subject POL, 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.
United States Government: Origins and development of the constitution and the federal system; introduction to the presidency, Congress, Supreme Court; political parties and interest groups as actors in politics; conservatism and liberalism as motivating philosophies. No prerequisite. (Offered every fall term.)
Introduction to Comparative Politics: Introduction to the comparative study of politics. Examines the nature of contemporary political systems and explanations for how and why they vary. Examines the historical process of political change and development as well as country specific political institutions, practices and policies. No prerequisite. (Offered every fall term)
Introduction to International Relations: Introduction to the behavior of nation-states in the contemporary world system; examination of concepts and problems regarding security, international organizations and human rights. No prerequisite. (Offered every spring term.)
Foundations in Law: This course explores the institutions and ideas that form the foundation of the American legal system. Students will explore the role played by the courts, political institutions, and administrative agencies in forming the law, as well as the meaning and consequence of legal rules and standards in the areas of criminal law, constitutional law, administrative law, property, torts, and contracts. A required course for the Pre-Law minor. No prerequisite. (Offered every spring term.)
Plus, complete three of the following courses from at least two disciplines. Two of these courses must be at or above the 300-level.
Politics of Race and Ethnicity: An examination of the struggle for political, social, and economic rights on the part of racial and ethnic minorities, in the US and across the world. The focus is on political struggles, past discrimination, and present inequalities. A central question of the course looks at the barriers to opportunity that racial and ethnic minorities face in various societies. No prerequisites. (Offered every odd spring term)
European Politics: Comparative analysis of history, political culture, institutions and behavior in selected modern European nations. Examination of the role of the European Union in shaping modern Europe. No prerequisite. (Offered every odd spring term.)
Language proficiency in the Spanish language (two courses at intermediate level or one course at the advanced level) is also required for the minor. Residential international travel to a Spanish- speaking country may be used to meet this requirement, if approved by the chair in consultation with faculty whose courses serve the minor.
Complete one of the following:
Asian Politics: Comparative analysis of history, political culture, institutions and behavior of selected modern Asian states; Asian regional institutions will be considered. No prerequisite. (Offered as needed.)
Social Science Research Methods: In this course, students will explore how social scientists collect and analyze data and communicate research results. Students will have several opportunities to practice skills foundational to the research process, including developing empirical questions, using computer software to work with quantitative data, and critically reading scientific studies. Central topics include research ethics, sampling, survey design, and applied statistics. This course fulfills the writing-intensive course requirement. (POL/PSY/SOC) and one course in elementary statistics (MAT 130 or 131). Cross-listed with SOC 250. (Offered every spring term.)
Introduction to Political Analysis: This course is designed to introduce students to basic political analysis. It encourages students to reflect on how they interpret and define political events, explores the relationship between knowledge, its validation and the methods we use to collect information, and aims to cultivate a sophisticated and nuanced approach to political analysis through conceptual clarity, analytical rigor, and methodological awareness. Topics and assignments may vary by instructor. No prerequisite. (Offered as needed.)
Contemporary Conflict in the World: Political violence is a persistent feature of international relations. This course examines the complexities of global conflict focusing on the causes of violence, interventions to prevent and terminate violence, and the post conflict environment. Different types of conflict will be examined, including interstate war, civil war, terrorism, and transnational crime. Using contemporary case studies to explore theory, this course will develop students’ ability to compare and apply major approaches to understanding the origins of global conflicts and critically evaluate opportunities for peacebuilding. No prerequisites. (Offered every even fall term)
Intermediate Topics in Political Science: Investigation of a single topic or area in political science. The topic may vary from term to term. No prerequisite. The course may not be repeated. (Offered as needed.)
Moot Court: Introduction to basic legal terms and procedures. Examination of the techniques of legal arguments and the basics of writing of legal briefs. Students will be required to participate in simulated oral arguments. No prerequisite. (Offeredeveryeven fall term.)
Campaigns and Elections: This course will focus on the procedures of campaigns and elections, past and present. It will examine the various parts of an election campaign (money, organization, strategy, use of the media) in order to gain a better understanding of how modern campaigns are run and differ from campaigns in the past. Case studies will be utilized to illustrate key concepts and ideas. The course will focus on the congressional and/or presidential campaigns in process as the course is taught. No prerequisite. (Offered every even fall term.)
Gender and Politics: This course focuses on the psychology of gender and its impact on women and their roles as political actors in the United States. We consider: the social construction of gender and power in American society; how women act politically outside the electoral arena; the gender 257
Polticial Psychology: This course provides a broad survey of the interdisciplinary field of political psychology with a focus on American politics. Our main objective will be to examine psychological theories and concepts and how they can help us understand the behavior, attitudes, and decision- making of political actors ranging from elites to the masses. The breadth of political psychology is immense, and we cannot possibly cover every area of research or even every aspect of the topics we discuss. We will focus on those lines of research that are fundamental to understanding basic political behavior and which shed light on the state of modern American politics. After completing this course, you will improve your understanding of how the human psyche influences political attitudes and how those attitudes motivate behavior within the political environment. No prerequisites. (Offered every even spring term)
Management & Organizations Concentration
U.S. Constitution: Governmental Powers and Structures: Examines major decision by the United States Supreme Court in areas of legislative and executive power and commerce. Examines the structure and function of the American court system, its relationship to the political process, the basis for legal argument and judicial decision-making. No prerequisite. (Offered every odd fall term.)
U.S. Constitution: Individual Rights and Liberties: Examines major decisions by the United States Supreme Court in areas of civil rights and civil liberties. Examines the structure and function of the American court system, its relationship to the political process, the basis for legal argument and judicial decision-making. No prerequisite. (Offered every even spring term.)
Regression in the Social Sciences: Regression analysis is a foundation for modeling data to answer research questions in social sciences and beyond. This course will allow students an opportunity to explore regression in detail and, in the
Politics and the Media: A look at the role of the media in American politics, the intersection and collision of interests, and how new media and 24/7 news cycle is changing the relationship between reporters, politicians and voters. No prerequisite. (Offered every odd fall term.)
Analysis of Public Opinion: In this course, you will learn how to study public opinion in an empirical manner. This class will challenge you to think about the factors that influence public attitudes on political issues, primarily in the United States. You will learn basic statistical and programming techniques to analyze public opinion data like a professional political scientist. This course consists of three general elements: lectures, where you will learn about prominent research on the factors that influence public opinion; breakout sessions, where you will develop skills necessary to analyze data and construct effective survey instruments with a group of your peers; and class discussions where we will discuss current events related to public opinion in American politics and brainstorm research ideas.
Politics of Immigration in the US: This course analyzes the politics of United States policy toward immigration. How does the United States government decide who is eligible to immigrate into the country? Who will be eligible for citizenship? What should we do about the millions of undocumented people who reside in the United States illegally? How should the government decide? The course takes a multidisciplinary approach to these questions, addressing the economics of immigration flows, the history of immigration to the United States, the ways in which immigration policy is decided by the United States government, and ethical issues around immigration. Film, fiction, and scholarly approaches to the topics are employed. The course may include field work--both research and service--in the immigrant community in Charlotte. No prerequisite. (Offered as needed.)
US-Latin American Relations: This course explores the central issues in US-Latin American relations: national security, economic integration, immigration and drugs. We will examine each from the perspectives of both the US and Latin America, seeking to understand the domestic and international determinants of US policies toward Latin America, as well as the consequences of these policies for the region. The course begins with a brief history of US policy towards Latin America. No prerequisite. (Offered as needed)
Topics in Model United Nations: This course is designed to give students an understanding of the United Nations and other international organizations. Students will either 258
Contemporary US Foreign Policy: Analysis of the role of the United States in contemporary world politics; emphasis upon the nature of the foreign policy--making process and the rationale, content and impact of contemporary American international action and policies. No prerequisite. (Offered every odd fall term.)
Environmental Politics: This course examines key issues in the area of environmental protection, focusing on how political actors make decisions about environmental policy. The course provides a look at the historical evolution of environmental issues, the extent of the environmental "crisis" and related moral and ethical questions. Topics include population growth, land and water protection, air quality (including ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect), the protection of animal life, and the disposal of regular, toxic and nuclear waste. No prerequisite. (Offered every odd spring term.)
Politics in Developing Countries: This course provides an introduction to the processes of political development and change in developing (or "Third world") countries. These countries account for most of the world's population. Some are desperately poor while others are rapidly developing industrial powers. Some are stable democracies, while others suffer under harsh dictatorships or remain mired in civil or ethnic strife. Indeed the countries considered part of the "developing" category are diverse socially, politically, and economically, but share common historical, political, and socioeconomic development patterns. It is these patterns-their nature and their implication for future development-that are focus of the course. Case studies will be drawn from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. No prerequisite. (Offered every even fall term.)
Global Conflict: Examines the complexities of global conflict including its definition; reasons and sources of global conflict; political response by states; legal means of addressing conflict through international and comparative law and to examine issues of success and failure in addressing conflict. Course structure includes reading, discussions, internet projects, in-class projects, presentations and the use of case study methods. No prerequisite. (Offered every even fall term.) Credit:
International Law and Organization: This course will focus upon the legal and policy issues raised by the development and functioning of intergovernmental organizations. It will introduce the basics of international public law and a comparative study of international organizations organized over the semester. Issues relating to rulemaking, trusteeship, human rights, dispute settlement, and enforcement will be central to this course. No prerequisite. (Offered every odd fall term.)
Leadership Concentration
Rising China: Political violence is a persistent feature of international relations. This course examines the complexities of global conflict focusing on the causes of violence, interventions to prevent and terminate violence, and the post conflict environment. Different types of conflict will be examined, including interstate war, civil war, terrorism, and transnational crime. Using contemporary case studies to explore theory, this course will develop students’ ability to compare and apply major approaches to understanding the origins of global conflicts and critically evaluate opportunities for peacebuilding. No prerequisites. (Offered every odd spring term)
Political Economy of North-South: Employs a political economy approach to understanding relations between countries in the developed north and the developing south. The course builds on concepts introduced in POL 350 International Political Economy: globalization, trade and financial relations, direct foreign investment, and the role of international organizations in structuring the world economy. Emphasis is on the ways in which power asymmetries between developed and developing countries are reflected in these various areas, as well as the changing nature of north-south relationships in this era of rapidly expanding globalization.
Topics in Political Thought: This course explores seminal works in political thought, and emphasizes the reading of whole texts. Emphasis on particular subjects and authors is at the discretion of the instructor. This course may be repeated for up to 8 hours. No prerequisite. (Offered every even fall term.)
Topics in Law: Investigation of a single topic or area in contemporary domestic or international law. The topic may vary from term to term. This course may be repeated for up to 8 hours. No prerequisite. (Offered as needed.)
Advanced Topics in Political Science: Investigation of a single topic or area in political science. The topic may vary from term to term. This course may be repeated for up to 8 hours. No prerequisite. (Offered as needed.)
Political Science Lab Assistant: Practical experience as a laboratory assistant in the department.
Topics: International Preparation: This course examines international aspects of a selected subject matter in preparation for international experience around the same topic. Open only to students enrolled in the corresponding international experience course. Students must earn a grade of C- or better (an average of 70) in order to participate in POL 399. The total number of hours for POL 398 and POL 399 cannot exceed four total hours.
International Experience: The international experience component of POL 398. Students will have the opportunity to experience firsthand many of the topics studied in the prerequisite course. The total number of hours for POL 398 and POL 399 cannot exceed four total hours.
Directed Readings: Faculty-supervised study of an approved topic in politics through selected readings. To be evaluated through a weekly meeting with the instructor and an oral examination at the end of the term. Prerequisite: open to majors in the junior or senior year, with permission of the instructor and department chair. (Offered as needed.) Credit:
Capstone in Political Science: This course focuses on the application and reinforcement of research skills. Students will create and present a final project as their culminating experience in the major. This course fulfills the writing- intensive course requirement.
Advanced Research Participation: Participation in research programs in conjunction with faculty. At the end of the term, students will present the results of their work. Course may not be repeated for credit in the political science major, but may be repeated for general university elective credit.
Independent Research: Opportunity for independent investigation resulting in a thesis of approximately 8,000 words. Research proposal must be submitted and approved the semester prior. May be used as a substitute for POL 410 Capstone in Political Science. This course fulfills the writing- intensive course requirement.
Source: Queens University of Charlotte's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 61
