27 courses with the subject POLS, 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.
POLS 112Political Geography
CR: 3 This course surveys the relationship between geography and politics as well as the impact of geography on social, cultural, and economic realities around the globe. After exploring the major theories and core concepts of political geography, the geopolitics of the major regions of the world will be examined with the goal of promoting a more nuanced understanding of each region.
CR: 3 This course surveys the major themes of European history from Napoleon to the present. Topics to be covered include nationalism, imperialism (and later decolonization), the rise of ideologies, and major conflicts. The course concludes by examining the emergence of the European Union. Though it is largely a study of political events, notable economic, intellectual, and artistic trends will be discussed as well.
CR: 3 Introduces the study of American government and politics using political science methods. Includes examination of political analysis models, authority systems, American political culture, U.S. constitutional origins, federalism, political parties, and elections. Also studies the influence of media and public opinion, while focusing on the president, Congress, and judiciary. Explores how courts interpret civil rights and liberties.
POLS 200State & Local Politics, Policy, and Governance
CR: 3 This course will explore the forms of government students are most likely to encounter in their daily lives and local communities. Lectures, readings, and class discussions will explore topics such as political participation, public policy, Federalism, the Virginia Constitution, Institutions such as the General Assembly, the State Court System, and local municipalities. Specific focus will be paid to Virginia, Amherst County, and local municipal institutions and politics. Comparisons will be made across the other U.S. states and regions. Students will discover the diverse institutional features of state and local governments as well as the unique public policy issues states and localities face. They will also analyze the relationships between state and local governments, as well as the relationships between the states and the federal government.
CR: 3 This course will introduce students to the actors and major concepts of world politics. This includes learning about nation-states, power politics, the global economy, international institutions, and human rights. Students will also consider contemporary global issues like war, terrorism, human migration, world poverty, and the environment.
POLS 212Campaigns and Elections: Strategy, Tactics, and Organizing to Win
One of the key foundational institutions in American democracy are free, fair, and competitive elections. While many elements of our government and society have a key role to play, this course focuses on the role of political campaigns (and the parties and interest groups at their center) in influencing the outcome of these critical periods of choice. We will focus on the strategies parties and candidates employ to win elections, the tactics they use to mobilize and persuade voters, and what separates effective campaigns from others. Key topics include voter mobilization, voter persuasion, fundraising, volunteer recruitment, messaging, polling, and media strategy. Political science has much to teach us about which of these are effective and which have been rendered obsolete by innovations in technology, infrastructure, and the knowledge of the psychology of voters and political elites. Alternate years.
CR: 3 This course surveys the cultural and religious forces and geographic realities shaping Middle East regional politics following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Topics to be explored include: state formation; the creation of Israel; nationalism; and Islamic revivalism.
CR: 3.0 A study abroad course that provides students with a unique path to understanding key issues in an increasingly interconnected world. The course supports the program’s core mission by providing exposure to an important global issue in a unique setting. Locations and specific topics will change with each offering. Students will be responsible for the travel costs of this course and may apply for a Grant of Engaged Learning (GEL) to offset these expenses.
CR: 3 This course explores how American women have participated in the legal and political systems to influence public policy related to education, health care, reproductive rights, employment, economic equity, and families. The course emphasizes case studies of gender law and women in public office. Offered alternate years.
CR: 3 Utilizing the business school “case method” approach, this course examines the interrelationships between business, government, and the economy through the medium of public policy. It will focus on financial markets, particularly governmental responses to bubbles, panics, and crashes, and the political dimensions of the evolution of money and banking in America. Offered alternate years.
Sophomore standing. A study of major Western and non-Western political systems. Political institutions, processes, and actors in each system are examined in depth. Attention will also be paid to the role of race, religion, and other social forces in shaping politics in each system. Student will undertake small group projects focused on country case studies of their choice.
One POLS course and permission of the instructor. The study of introductory level material by an individual student or by a small group of students under the immediate supervision of a faculty member.
POLS 159 . This course examines the development of constitutional law in the U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Bill of Rights, including religion, speech, and criminal justice. It studies the constitutional basis of equality in the Fourteenth Amendment and how the justices have applied it to race and gender. The class uses historical and contemporary legal cases and analyzes the Court’s expansion/contraction of civil rights and liberties. Offered alternate years.
POLS 322American Foreign Policy: History and Process
POLS 159 . This course explores the powers allocated to the executive and legislative branches of the United States government under the Constitution and how the relationship between the two has evolved from the late eighteenth century to the present day.
POLS 329Topics in Political Science
Subject
POLS
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated for credit when the course content changes.
100-level POLS course and permission of the instructor. The study of an intermediate level topic by an individual student or by a small group of students under the immediate supervision of a faculty member.
POLS 142 or POLS 209 . This course explores the topic of genocide before focusing on the specific case of the Holocaust. After surveying cultural, psychological, and political-legal approaches to the study of genocide, past and contemporary cases of genocide will be discussed. Fully one-third to one-half of the course will be devoted to studying the Holocaust.
One 100-level POLS course, one 200-level POLS course, and permission of the instructor. Pursuit of an upper-level research project determined in advance by the student in consultation with a faculty member who will act as the sponsor.
POLS 470Advanced Honors
CR: 3 Upper-level research or creative project determined in advance by the student in consultation with two faculty members who will serve as primary and secondary project sponsors. The course is required for the Honors Degree, and serves as the capstone experience for Honors students who do not pursue a senior Honors thesis project. This course is typically taken in the student’s junior or senior year.
CR: 3 During this course, a senior is expected to refine and submit their thesis proposal under the supervision of a thesis advisor. The senior will submit their thesis proposal to the Student Advancement Committee by the deadline determined by the Honors Program. Pending approval by the Student Advancement Committee, the student will spend the remainder of the semester beginning the research described in their proposal. If a student does not submit an acceptable thesis proposal as determined by the Student Advancement Committee, they will not be allowed to continue in the pursuit of the Honors Degree/Program Honors. This course will carry the rubric of the student’s major in which the thesis is based.
CR: 3 In this course, the student is expected to continue the research proposed and approved by the Student Advancement Committee in the 471 Proposal/Research course. This work is completed under the supervision of faculty advisors, culminating in the student defending their thesis before a committee.
