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 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 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.

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.