Core Courses (Required for Major)

140. American Politics (I and II; 3, 0)
A critical examination of the principles, structures, and processes that shape American politics. An emphasis on political behavior and institutions with application to contemporary political issues.

170. International Politics (I and II; 3, 0)
Introduction to major dynamics of international politics; the international system, decision making, perceptions, cooperation, conflict, and policy instruments, such as diplomacy and war. Analysis is linked to specific international events and issues.

205. Comparative Politics (I and II; 3, 0)
Politics and policy outside the United States; concepts for the comparison of political systems. Democracy, Third World politics, revolution, political stability and change, international effects on political processes.

210. Political Theory (I and II; 3, 0)
Examination of the moral dimensions of politics. Authors include Plato, Aristotle, Milton, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Marx. Major concepts include justice, freedom, rights, and authority.

Comparative

211. Third World Politics (I or II; 3, 0)
Politics in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The Third World in the modern world system. Politics and economic development. Instability, militarism, and democracy.

219. Latin American Politics (II; 3, 0)
The dynamics of politics in Latin American social, economic, and cultural context, with use of general comparative concepts of politics.

222. Russian Politics (I; 3, 0)
The politics of transition in Russia, from authoritarianism toward democracy with a market economy.

223. European Politics (AII; 3, 0)
Comparative analysis of institutions and policy-making in European political systems, including the European Union.

224. Government and Politics of the Middle East (I or II; 3, 0)
This course provides the student with an understanding of the internal political process of the area. Topics include political institutions/groups, the state, culture, Islam, and revolution.

225. Chinese Politics (I or II; 3, 0)
This course examines China's rich political history, its dynamic economic and social changes, its lasting political culture, its enduring struggle for modernization, and its evolving relations with the rest of the world. Crosslisted as EAST 269 and IREL 225.

226. East Asian Politics (II; 3, 0)
This course surveys political history, political institutions, economy, and society of major countries in East Asia, with focus on the continuity and changes in politics and policies in China, Japan, and Korea. Crosslisted as EAST 226 and IREL 226.

227. Government and the Economy: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (I or II; 3, 0)
The primary aim of this course is to explore the government's role in the economy. Specific objectives include: describing the public sector and its economic activities; studying why the government plays a role in the economy; debating how much government intervention in the economy is necessary or optimal; examining the principles and realities of tax policy and associated expenditure programs.

229. Women and Politics (AII; 3, 0)
An analysis of women and politics generally with specific focus on feminism and its relationship to political discourse and political action.

American

231. Introduction to Public Policy (I; 3, 0)
Course introduces students to theories of the policy-making process in America, and also provides an overview of the major policy areas in American politics.

232. American Public Policy Analysis (II; 3, 0)
Learn to conduct policy analysis through in-depth exploration of policy issues such as health care, criminal justice, immigration, and art policy. Specific topics will vary.

234. State and Local Internship Program (II; 3; 0)
Participants explore politics and policy at the state and local level through integrated class work, independent research, and real world work experiences. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

237. American Political Parties (AI; 3, 0)
Analysis of American political parties in terms of democratic, organizational, electoral and governmental functions.

240. The American Congress (I or II; 3, 0)
Examination and evaluation of representative government in America. Detailed investigation of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

241. Constitutional Law: Civil Rights (I or II; 3, 0)
An introduction to civil rights under the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, focusing on discrimination based on race, sex, sexual orientation, class and alien status.

242. Civli Liberties and the Constitution (I or II; 3, 0)
Examination of civil liberties policies in the U.S. through a study of U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

243. The American Presidency (I; 3, 0)
Origins and development of the presidency and an analysis of the sources and nature of executive power in American national government.

244. American Judicial Politics (II; 3, 0)
Survey of the process and substance of policymaking in the Federal court system, with an emphasis on Supreme Court decision making and the policy impact of court decisions.

246. Race and American Politics (I or II; 3, 0)
Looks at the connections between race and power through various forms of political behavior including electoral, policymaking, and citizen participation. Explores the mutually constitutive relationship between politics and race.

249. Power, Protest, and Political Change (AI; 3, 0)
Explores the life cycle of social movements. Looks at mobilization, tactic selection, and the legacies of "passionate politics" through specific cases of social movement activity. Crosslisted as SOCI 269.

332. Public Opinion (I; 3, 0)
Structure and origins of public opinion, public opinion polling, political psychology, and implications for democracy.

Political Theory

254. Sex and Social Order (I or II; 3, 0)
Analysis of connections between sex and social structure to determine how our understanding of sexuality is implicated in our political system, economy, and cultural ideology.

256. Topics in Social and Political Ethics (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Study of the types of argument and analysis used in social and political ethics, in part through an examination of contemporary social issues.

260. Topics in Legal Thought (I or II; R; 3; 0)
Subjects will vary, e.g., morality and the legal process; religion and law; contemporary jurisprudence.

261. Twentieth-Century American Legal Thought (I or II; 3, 0)
Analysis of dominant and critical trends through the century including legal realism, liberalism, law and morality, feminist legal theory, law and economics, and critical race theory.

263. Race and Ethnicity in American Legal Thought (II; 3, 0)
An examination of legal theories on race and ethnicity, including race-based citizenship, affirmative action, school desegregation, busing, voting rights, racial gerrymandering, tribal sovereignty, and immigration.

266. Nationalism East and West (I or II; 3, 0)
Examination of the theory and practice of nationalist movements in Europe, the United States, India, and the Middle East.

268. Contemporary Democratic Theory (I or II; 3, 0)
Analysis of the moral foundations of democracy and the institutional means for achieving it, including voting systems, political parties, alternative representation, and workplace democracy.

International

271. American Foreign Policy (I; 3, 0)
Analysis of American foreign policy institutions and decision-making processes; examination of the history and of current issues and problems of U.S. foreign policy.

272. U.S. National Security Policy (II; 3, 0)
The evolution of U.S. national security policy since World War II. Topics include defense in the nuclear area, strategic doctrine, arms control, budgeting, WMDs, policy making.

273. The Atlantic Alliance (I; 3, 0)
This course concerns North Atlantic political and security relations and uses the NATO alliance as its vehicle. The course examines binding and dividing intra-alliance issues during and after the Cold War.

274. Race, Nation-state and International Relations (II; 3, 0)
The course examines the processes by which states as expressions of social relations that are embedded in political institutions have been used by social forces, nationally, and transnationally, to racialize nations, societies, and global politics. Crosslisted as HIST 260 and IREL 245.

275. Global Governance (I; 3, 0)
This course explores the rationales, processes, and institutions of multilateral governance in a globalized world. We examine the U.N., nongovernmental organizations, conflict resolution, economic development, environment, human rights, and international law. Not open to first-year students. Crosslisted as IREL 275.

277. International Political Economy (I or II; 3, 0)
This course examines the politics of international economic relations including trade, finance, and development. Crosslisted as IREL 277.

278. International Law (II; 3, 0)
The nature, historical development, and sources of international law; substantive and procedural international law and its role in international relations. Crosslisted as IREL 255.

279. Government and the Economy (II; 3, 0)
This course studies the government and economy with special topics including history, analysis, and critique of capitalism and democracy.

280. War (I; 3, 0)
This course focuses on the causes of wars. Theories from many disciplines are examined in relation to interstate and civil or internal wars. Applying these theories to different wars, through the use of case studies, will comprise a large part of the course.

281. Peace Studies (AI or II; 3, 0)
This course provides an introduction to the field of peace studies. A number of topics are examined including pacifism, conflict resolution techniques and approaches, and finally actual case studies to illustrate peacemaking in two contexts: interstate wars and internal or civil strife. Crosslisted as UNIV 219.

283. East Asian International Relations (I or II; 3, 0)
This course offers an overview of international relations in East Asia with focus on political, economic, and social interactions among major states in the region. Crosslisted as EAST 248 and IREL 283.

284. International Relations of Europe (II; 3, 0)
This course will examine the foreign policies of European countries, individually and collectively through the European Union, toward each other, regional and global intergovernmental organizations, and other regions/countries. Crosslisted as IREL 218.

286. International Relations of the Caribbean (I; 3, 0)
Study of the domestic and external sources of foreign policy and of foreign policy issues of Caribbean states, including regional integration and U.S.-Caribbean relations. Crosslisted as IREL 230.

287. United States and the Middle East (AII; 3, 0)
This course examines U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East. The focus is on the economic, security, and political interests of the United States in the region.

288. French Foreign Policy Since 1945 (I or II; 3, 0)
Analysis of French foreign policy, institutions, and decision-making processes in the Fourth and Fifth Republics. Current issues and problems of French foreign policy. Prerequisite: Bucknell en France students only.

289. The Arab-Israeli Conflict (AI or II; 3, 0)
This course examines the roots and transformation of the conflict, role of outside actors, and how it can be resolved.

Seminars

350. Seminar in Comparative Politics (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Selected topics. Prerequisite: POLS 205 or permission of the instructor.

360. Seminar in Political Theory (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Selected topics. Prerequisite: POLS 210 or permission of the instructor.

370. Seminar in American Politics (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Selected topics. Prerequisite: POLS 140 or permission of the instructor.

380. Seminar in International Politics (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Selected topics. Prerequisite: POLS 170 or permission of the instructor. May be crosslisted as EAST 380 and/or IREL 380. 

General and Cross-Subfield

290. Topics in Politics (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Attention will focus on specific thinkers, problems, concepts, or issues of recurring and continuing significance in political analysis. Topics will vary.

295. Internship (I or II; 3, 0)
Reserved for nontraditional study.

390. Advanced Topics in Politics (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Advanced study of concerns not addressed in standing courses. Topics will vary. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

391. Research Methods in Political Science (AII; 3, 0)
This course is a survey of the various research methods used by political scientists. Students will critically analyze different approaches to research and construct original research designs for topics of their choice.

395 and 396. Independent Study (I and II; R, 3, 0)
Open to qualified students who wish to pursue individual programs of advanced study in political science. Prerequisite: approval of a proposal submitted to the department, normally at least two weeks prior to registration.

397. Honors Thesis (I and II; R; 3, 0)
Independent research on some topic approved as honors work by the department and Honors Council. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

Courses offered occasionally: 250 History of Western Political Thought I: Ancient and Medieval, 251 History of Western Political Thought II: Machiavelli to Bentham, 252 History of Western Political Thought III; Burke to Rawls, 285 International Relations of the Western Hemisphere