Political Science
(Program Homepage)
Faculty: M. Gallagher, O. Gayazova, Y. Kim, B. O'Bannon, C. Peterson, S. Rahman, S. Sahu, B. Stinebrickner
Topics of interest to political scientists include how governments function and should function; differences and similarities among the approximately 200 national political systems in the world; relations between and among the nations of the world as well as the role of nongovernmental actors in these relations; and ways of better understanding such phenomena as authority, conflict, legitimacy, political parties, elections, interest groups, international organizations, coup d'etats, and executive, legislative and judicial decision-making.
The department offers both a major and a minor in Political Science. In the political science department at DePauw, as in virtually every political science department in the United States, a disproportionate number of courses treat the American political system. But there are also courses on political systems in other countries and regions (Europe,the Middle East,China, India, and the Third World more generally), on relations among and between nations, and on issues and questions that transcend the politics of any particular place.
Many Political Science students enhance their understanding of politics through relevant off-campus experiences, including internships in various government offices, participation in election campaigns, Winter Term travel, and studying overseas or in Washington for a semester.
Political Science majors and minors have gone on to successful careers in elected and appointed government positions, journalism, business, research, teaching, and law.
Students wishing to count courses taken off campus toward a major or minor in political science must have prior approval from their academic advisor and the chair of the department. It is not recommended that courses substituting for POLS 110, 150, 230 or 270 be taken off-campus.
Students preparing for secondary teaching: review Section V, Teacher Education, and confer with the chair of the education studies department about requirements for admission and certification.
Requirements for a major in Political Science
| Total courses required | Nine |
| Core courses | POLS 110, POLS 150, POLS 230, POLS 270, POLS 450 |
| Other required courses | |
| # 300 and 400 level courses | Three |
| Senior requirement | The senior requirement consists of the completion of POLS 450 with a grade of C or better. |
| Additional information | POLS 110 and POLS 150 should be taken by the end of the first semester of the student's junior year. POLS 230 and POLS 270 should be taken before the student's senior year. POLS 156 cannot be counted as credit for a political science major. |
| Recent changes in major |
Requirements for a minor in Political Science
| Total courses required | Five |
| Core courses | POLS 150, POLS 230 |
| Other courses | |
| # 300 and 400 level courses | One |
| Recent changes in minor |
Courses in Political Science
| POLS 110. American National Government | Group 2 | 1 course |
| An introduction to the American political system that addresses the roles of political parties, elections, interest groups, public opinion, news media, the Constitution, and the legislative, executive and judicial branches in governing the United States. | ||
| POLS 150. Comparative Politics and Government | Group 2 | 1 course |
| An examination of major theories of comparative politics applicable to liberal democratic, communist and developing Third World systems. Theories of modernization and development, functionalism, systems analysis, dependency and underdevelopment, political economy, state-society relations, corporatism and neo-corporatism in both Western and non-Western settings. | ||
| POLS 156. Advanced Placement in Political Science | 1 course | |
| Advanced placement credit for entering first-year students. A. U.S. Government. B. Comparative Politics. POLS 156 cannot be counted as credit toward a POLS major. | ||
| POLS 197. First-Year Seminar | 1 course | |
| A seminar on a theme related to political science. Open only to first-year students. | ||
| POLS 226. State and Local Government | Group 2 | 1 course |
| The theory and especially the practice of subnational government in the U.S. Topics include intergovernmental relations; government institutions; elections, parties, and interest groups; taxing, spending and economic development activities; and policy problems besetting state and local governments and metropolitan areas. | ||
| POLS 230. Elements of Political Theory | Group 4 | 1 course |
| An introduction to the basic ideas in the history of political thought that have provided philosophical foundations of modern political life. | ||
| POLS 240. Contemporary Political Ideologies | Group 4 | 1 course |
| A survey of contemporary worldviews based on value and belief systems that generate sets of attitudes and behaviors toward political institutions and processes. Ideologies such as enthno-nationalism, religious fundamentalism, feminism, liberation theology, globalism and environmentalism are treated. | ||
| POLS 253. China and India in the 21st Century | Group 2 | 1 course |
| Why do the two Asian giants, India and China, with more than 38 percent of the population of the world, matter to the rest of the world at the beginning of the 21st century? What are China's superpower prospects? Will nuclear India attain great power status? What is the future of communism and the prospect of political freedom and democracy in China? Is Indian democracy stable? What are the sources of instability of Indian government? What does a weak central government mean to Indian federalism? The dynamics of ethnic minorities in China? The future of secularism in India? The nuclear dynamics in Sino-Indian relations? These questions and many others will be explored in this course. | ||
| POLS 254. Government and Politics of Western Europe | Group 2 | 1 course |
| Political systems of selected countries in Western Europe; their historical and cultural settings; parties and elections; decision-making; problems of foreign policy. Considerable attention to the European community, the movement toward economic and political integration and its impact on political systems of member countries. | ||
| POLS 270. International Politics | Group 2 | 1 course |
| An analysis of world politics, focusing on the units of analysis, patterns of conflict and collaboration, the international agenda (including trends and issues), the structure of the international system and the current state and future of world order. | ||
| POLS 299. Internship in Political Science | 1/2-1 course | |
| Supervised participation in a special (and usually competitive) internship program outside the University. | ||
| POLS 310. Political Parties | Group 2 | 1 course |
| Parties, public opinion, elections, and voting behavior in the context of the American political system. | ||
| POLS 315. The Legislative Process | Group 2 | 1 course |
| Focus on the U.S. Congress. Examines rules, procedures and structures of Congress, as well as sources and motivations of legislative behavior. Emphasis is on the development of an understanding of how Congress works and why Congress as an institution and individual members of Congress function as they do. | ||
| POLS 316. The Presidency | Group 4 | 1 course |
| Seeks first to develop students' understanding of the powers and imperatives of the American presidency, as well as an understanding of the president's role in the American political order. Primary attention also given to examination of presidential success in office: what makes a good president, what citizens look for in a president, what strategies and/or behaviors are more or less likely to result in successful presidencies. | ||
| POLS 318. Research Methods: Research Design | Group 2 | 1 course |
| A critical examination of research designs used by political scientists in the last half century in their attempts to understand political reality. The theory and practice of experimental designs will be compared and contrasted with other ways of gathering data that can lead to reliable inferences about political reality. | ||
| POLS 320. African American Politics | Group 4 | 1 course |
| This course focuses on how the continuing struggle for Black political empowerment has helped influence and shape the current African American political community. An interdisciplinary approach incorporating economics, history and sociology will be used to gain an overall understanding of the African American community and its critical influence upon the American political system. | ||
| POLS 323. The Politics of Race | Group 2 | 1 course |
| This course explores the centrality and significance of race in the modern American political system. The course covers, but is not limited to, the role of race in electoral politics, urban politics, the political and social attitudes of Americans and the debates about the scope and function of the federal government. | ||
| POLS 324. Politics of Civil Rights and Liberties | Group 2 | 1 course |
| Analysis of civil rights and civil liberties policies in the United States and of the processes that produce those policies. Emphasis will be on policies relating to the practice of democracy (freedom of expression and associated freedoms), criminal justice, and "discrimination". Treatment of the policy process will include an examination of the roles of judicial, legislative and executive branches and the activities of interest groups. | ||
| POLS 330. Governments and Politics of the Middle East | Group 2 | 1 course |
| This course focuses on the Middle East in international politics as well as the internal politics of the region. Special attention is given to the rise of the state system, the dynamics of modernization, major political movements, ideologies, religions and social and economic change. | ||
| POLS 341. American Political Thought | Group 4 | 1 course |
| An introduction to American political thought that concentrates on important debates and controversies that have contributed to shaping American political life. | ||
| POLS 351. Government and Politics of Russia and the CIS | Group 4 | 1 course |
| Examines the origins and nature of Bolshevik movement and the 1917 revolution; the ideological and institutional sources of the Soviet state and party structures; Stalinism as totalitarian experiment; the erosion of the Soviet system; its economic decline and crisis; the reasons for the failure of the Gorbachev reform effort; the Moscow coup and implosion of the system; subsequent Russian political and economic reforms; selected events in some CIS republics. | ||
| POLS 352. Politics of Developing Nations | Group 2 | 1 course |
| An introduction to the similarities and unifying characteristics of heterogeneous developing nations. Emphasis on diversities to be found in different regions of the Third World. The focus is on issues and problems and not countries and regions, though case studies are used for illustrative purposes. The course covers theories and approaches to the study of the Third World; changes in the Third World (political, economic, governmental and regime); contemporary issues (hunger and famine, multinationals, foreign debt and the New International Economic Order); and Third World ideologies and movements (nonalignment, developmental socialism, anti-Americanism and Islamic revivalism). | ||
| POLS 360. African Politics | Group 2 | 1 course |
| This course surveys issues in and approaches to the study of African politics. Special emphasis is placed on the African development crisis through an accounting of varying levels of success and failure across the continent. Specific concerns include: governance, civil and interstate war, international political economy and the development of the state system. | ||
| POLS 370. American Foreign Policy | Group 2 | 1 course |
| The process of formulating and implementing American foreign policy. The development of American traditions regarding foreign policy, the main factors influencing American foreign policy since World War II and specific policies toward regions and countries of the world. | ||
| POLS 382. Global Issues | Group 2 | 1 course |
| An analytical survey of global issues: their essence, management and political implications. The course starts with a theoretical framework for the study of leading global issues, such as global security, population growth, global political economy, food, ethno-nationalism, terrorism, human rights, consumption of non-renewable resources and the integrity of the environment. Institutions, values and policies are emphasized in the context of growing interdependence among nations and related issues of integration and conflict. | ||
| POLS 384. International Law | Group 4 | 1 course |
| Contemporary problems relating to law and legal institutions in the global community. The nature, sources, and application of international law; international instruments; membership in the international community; state and non-state actors; duties and responsibilities at the global level; war and peace. | ||
| POLS 390. Topics in Government and Politics | 1 course | |
| An examination of selected topics related to political science. | ||
| POLS 400SS. Teaching of Social Studies | 1/2 course | |
| See History 400SS. May not be counted toward a major in Political Science. | ||
| POLS 450. Senior Seminar | 1 course | |
| This course, offered in multiple and independent sections, focuses on theory and analysis in the various fields of the discipline and in the discipline as a whole. | ||
| POLS 499. Independent Study | 1 course | |
| Intensive reading and research in American politics, political theory, comparative politics and/or international politics. Permission of instructor and department required. May not be taken pass/fail. | ||
