Master of Arts in Political Science-Capstone Option

This course examines how the international political system---the patterns of interaction among world political actors---has changed and how some of its fundamental characteristics have resisted change. Students will investigate how the global system works and how the process of globalization is remaking the political and economic world.

This course examines the way government policies emerge from the political process and are implemented through participating institutions. In this class students will investigate how good analysis can contribute to informed policy-making and review the factors that go into developing effective implementation strategies. In addition, today’s need for enhanced public accountability and the challenging problems of measuring program performance are examined.

This course critically examines the complex and ongoing role of courts in the public policy process. With renewed emphasis on economic stability, financial and non-financial regulation, decentralization, downsizing and re-engineering, there is an increasing awareness that public policy, and the administrative law system that manages it, are subject to intense political and cultural pressures. The attempt to address social concerns with new laws and regulations has created increased pressure on the administrative law process in the courts and legislative chambers. This course examines the sources, influences, operation and consequences of law and public policy formation, and analyzes public policy initiatives from political and legal aspects as to their intentions, achievable aims, and intended and unintended outcomes.

RECOMMENDED AS FIRST PROGRAM COURSE. REQUIRED AS ONE OF FIRST THREE PROGRAM COURSES. This course presents the research methods commonly used by all social scientists. Consequently, the course will prepare the student to understand material and issues associated with but not limited to the logic of the scientific method, research design, and statistical analysis of data. The course is intended to provide a foundation from which the student may use the knowledge and practices acquired throughout the rest of their graduate program in their selected field of study.

This course takes the student into the exciting world of ideas that have always captivated mankind and inspired the great advances in Western civilization. The course examines some eternal questions: On what philosophical precepts does the rule of law depend? What are the philosophical justifications for respect for the individual? What legal and moral implications arise from these precepts? How should we behave? How should we govern ourselves and each other? Through reading, studying, and reflecting upon the works of the great philosophers ranging from Socrates to Marx and beyond, the class will enter into these “great conversations” and examine how political philosophers throughout time have relevance to the modern world.

The course covers a combination of theories and applications that will provide the student with basic tools required to understand, navigate, and communicate with the three administrative elements of the federal government. The emphasis of the course is based on a study of composing, legislating, implementing, and enforcing public policy set against a background of both historical and current elements.

This course is an application of modern politico-economic insights to improve general understanding of the resource dimensions of a range of national security issues -- from alliances, defense spending and budgeting, the defense industry, arms control and disarmament, and unconventional warfare to the effects of defense on economic growth and development.

This course focuses on the analysis and resolution of complex environmental management issues. Environmental Management investigates the use of management tools and strategies to resolve complex environmental problems and controversies, including application of adaptive management, structured decision-making, and negotiation principles, and incorporating stakeholders, economic drivers, and the human element. Environmental leadership, collaboration, and conflict resolution will be emphasized, with due consideration to the use of sound scientific data in environmental decision making. Students will be expected to use critical thought, innovation, and creativity to formulate an adaptive management plan for a highly controversial environmental issue or policy as their course final project.

This course is a qualitative and quantitative study of the public and private economic costs and effects of environmental programs, industrialization, regulation, and international and national environmental policies, among other issues.

This course is a study of the major legal, regulatory, and policy framework that encompasses environmental programs and projects in the United States and with international political, commercial, and non-governmental institutions. The primary learning approach used in this course will be case studies.

This course focuses on the major human, technological, and natural dynamics that factor into environmental systems. The course includes the study of natural systems, change, and the life-cycle of environmental systems.

This course examines the origins, content, and judicial interpretations of the U.S. Constitution. The course involves study of the Supreme Court’s evolving decisions on such issues as States’ rights, civil rights, the Commerce Clause, Due Process in criminal and other proceedings, and protected freedoms (speech, religion, assembly, etc.) under the Constitution.

This course introduces issues surrounding the two major categories of international institutions: intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) such as the United Nations, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as the International Committee of the Red Cross. The course studies the theories, origins, principles, organization, activities, legal authority and performance of major international organizations as world actors in areas of economic development, international security, trade, and humanitarian assistance. IGOs serve as forums for communications, as regulators, as distributors, as organs of military security, and as peacekeepers. A few IGOs, such as the European Union (EU), have taken on supra-national political functions; they have power to make decisions that bind member-states, and their failures are not inherent, but are often caused by the reluctance of states to surrender sovereignty.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with the analytical tools and knowledge skill sets to assess American foreign policy and America’s role in a changing world. Specifically, this course attempts to make sense of the change dynamics by exploring the policy process and the core values that have defined America’s role in the world.

This course of study examines the history of political, tactical and strategic developments and concepts regarding geopolitical concerns regarding political and military planning and execution from the mid-20th Century through the modern era. The comparative analysis of these concepts from the applicable secondary literature will provide a stepping stone to understanding the nature of modern combined arms and joint forces warfare.

An examination of the governments and the militaries of the two Koreas. This course will closely examine the reasons behind the Korean peninsula playing such a pivotal role in overall Northeast Asian security. The course will examine domestic political, economic and social problems and prospects of North Korea and South Korea; the prospects for reunification; the military balance and the changing strategic environment; and the relations of Pyongyang and Seoul with their key allies. Includes an examination of U.S. relations with Korea.

Latin America continues as one of the most important areas to the United States -- even as it remains one of the least understood. In particular, the internal dimension of security has not yet been resolved in many Latin American nations to the extent that domestic stability can be taken for granted, a reality which could have profound consequences for the United States.

This course examines evolution of the contemporary Middle East politics. It studies political, social, and cultural, interactions both within and among the countries located in the Eastern Mediterranean basin, the Persian Gulf region, and the North Africa. The course aims to present detailed and multidimensional analysis of the political attitudes and behaviors of prominent players biased through religious motives, regimes, patterns of patrimonial leadership, and diverse aspirations and goals of traditional social groups rooted in the Middle East. In this framework, focusing, first, on the birth and rise of Islam and religious motives in social life, the course sets the stage for historic developments which brought about structural dilemmas of today. Emphasizing on the period starting with the industrial revolution early in the nineteenth century, it also draws attention to the political economic motives of the region shaped by petroleum as well as the rise of mass politics. Correspondingly, involvement of the great powers into the politics of region is, in the final analysis, another topic that adds up flavor to the discussions and perspectives related to the Middle East politics. Finally, it takes up the analysis of current developments, like the U.S. led Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and democratization efforts in the Broader Middle East area in the context of U.S. war on terror.

This course examines the political, economic and security forces that impact on the government and politics of countries in the Middle East, specifically the Persian Gulf, as well as U.S. foreign policy toward this important region. It will touch on the historic, religious, social and cultural aspects that have helped shape the political dynamics of the Persian Gulf as well as the strategic factors which have tied the region to the West generally and to the U.S. in particular. The first part of the course will focus on the historical background of the region, the role of religion, and the emergence of nation-states after centuries of foreign domination. The latter part will concentrate on contemporary issues and problems -- The issue of terrorism and the recent Gulf conflict caused by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. The course will examine the political systems and the political elites of the major players in the Middle East including Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. The course will conclude with an overview of current U.S. involvement in the region.

This course covers the geography, culture, society, economy, and religions of the major ethnic and linguistic groups in the Middle East. The course will introduce students to important events and developments, such as the changing concepts of politics in Islam; the evolving sociological bases of states and societies in the Middle East; and the early impact of Europe on the Middle East, first through trade and then through colonialism.

This course will enable students to put the contemporary Islamist challenge to the West into historical, political, and cultural context and to understand Islam and the Islamic world more broadly. It does not focus on Islamism specifically, but does include it. The breadth of the course content reflects the inconsistent and uncertain usage of the term Islam. Strictly defined, Islam refers only to the religion founded by Muhammad. It is not a political, ethnic, geographic or cultural term any more (or less) than Christianity is. The central theme of the course will be to address the question of whether the relationship of theology to polity within Islamic societies is unique to that religious tradition.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AS YOUR SECOND CLASS in National Security Studies. The course will cover the roles, missions, organization, capabilities, unique cultures and strategic purposes of the President, the Departments of State and Defense, Congress, National Security Council, Armed Forces, intelligence community, and NGOs, as well as how these actors interact to formulate national security strategy. Students will examine some of the successes and failures of the interagency process and will gain an appreciation of the capabilities, limitations and organizational cultures of the players in the national security community, as well as providing an overview of legal and ethical issues that impact on the development of national security policy.

This course is designed to develop fundamental skills essential for students to evaluate public programs. Knowledge of the policy process and research methods is brought together in the ethical assessment of program needs, processes, and outcomes.

This course is designed to give the student an in-depth understanding of the roles that government and the consumer (the patient) can, and do, play in the ever-evolving health care industry. This course places special emphasis on politics and ethics and the results when they clash, as well as how politics and ethics form the mental attitudes of decision makers. This course is rich in information on the various political and ethical dilemmas facing the patients in the new millennium.

This course is designed to give the student a working understanding of the financial and economic elements of health care. The course will give the student the required tools to express past and present results and analysis, as well as future predictions. This content is critical to the efficiency of the practitioner, educator and administrator, as well as the understanding by the patient, of the economic and financial forces at work in a huge, complex industry.

This course examines the major forces shaping the dynamics of medical care, such as technology, managed care, and "corporate" medicine," to provide the student with examples of what is right and what is wrong with modern medical care. This course also compares the idealism of medicine with stark realities, as well as numerous proposals to reshape them in the new millennium.

This course examines the organization and behavior of political parties and interest groups within the American political system. The course emphasizes the extent to which these organizations operate differently across the national, state, and local levels of government.

This course will study women as political players in society--their history as outsiders, strategies for gaining political power, the evolution of public policies that affect the lives and opportunities of women, and the present political status of women in the U.S. (and globally). The course begins with a historical analysis of the gendering of American politics and addresses the cultural changes in women’s lives, the forces behind those changes and their reflection in public policies in education, health care, reproductive rights, employment, the economy, family law, childcare, and criminal justice. The course will review the history of women's political participation and the challenges and opportunities for women as candidates and officeholders.

Explores the theory, practice, challenges and prospects for securing America against terrorist attack and protecting citizens and resources from the consequences of natural disaster, with special emphasis on how policy makers are resolving this dilemma. The primary focus is on fundamental challenges to the American political order and the strategic issues raised by the prospect of a long war against terrorism, and the dedication of significant resources for responding to catastrophic disasters which may come into conflict with the resources needed to fight a long-term War on Terrorism. The course draws heavily on current events and emerging policy solutions.

This course focuses on legislative structure and decision-making. Through reading, studying, and reflecting upon legislatures, legislators, and legislative processes, students will examine the U.S. legislative structure and conduct an analysis of comparative legislative behavior.

This course offers a perspective on the U.S. presidency that examines the institutional development while assessing the leadership behavior of office holders from George Washington through the present. Through reading, studying, and reflecting upon Presidential administrations and Presidential leadership styles, students will examine the development of the presidency and the role of the President in U.S. government and abroad.

This course introduces students to the role of the judiciary in American politics and policymaking and explores the questions asked and the methods employed by political scientists studying courts and the legal system. An equally important objective of this course is to familiarize students with the seminal works in judicial research, with particular emphasis on Supreme Court cases. Students will study the judicial process in the United States from a variety of perspectives in order to examine the role of law and courts in the larger political arena and social environment.

This course focuses on the political, legal, financial, and administrative relationships among national, state, and local governmental units. Topics include the nature of federal and other political systems and the issues presented in each system at all levels; the evolution of the American federal system from its origins through present day; intergovernmental cooperation and conflict; and the various theory and concepts associated with a breakdown of responsibilities among federal, state, and local governments.

The Master’s Capstone Seminar option includes a thesis, or a major research project or paper in lieu of the final comprehensive examination, which has no credit hours. Those who elect this option may reduce their electives by three semester hours to accommodate the seminar option credit. This option is desirable for those students who wish to focus on specific subject matter of an interdisciplinary nature or who would like to continue their education at a higher level. Students electing this option must use this as one of the graduate electives.